Japanese Mayor Dismisses Nuclear Disarmament

There is no hope in today's international security climate to achieve global nuclear disarmament, Kyodo News quoted Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto as saying on Saturday.

Japan last week again introduced a resolution at the U.N. First Committee calling for the worldwide elimination of all atomic arms. The measure was successfully forwarded to the U.N. General Assembly.

"It would be impossible, given the current international political situation," to achieve total nuclear disarmament, according to the leader of Japan's third most populous city and head of the Japan Restoration Party.

"Japan is a little bit peace-addicted. Who can abolish nuclear weapons even if Japan is eager to achieve it?" Hashimoto said.

He also suggested support for allowing the United States to deploy nuclear arms in Japan. Longstanding principles today bar the island state from producing, possessing, or permitting the presence of nuclear weapons on Japanese territory.

"It could be possible as Japan is protected under the nuclear power of the United States," the mayor said. "We basically need to adhere to the principles, but we should not lie about the entry of nuclear arms in terms of security," Hashimoto added.